As We Fall
by MonsterSlut
Summary: Neither human nor Asgardian, Cale has always lived his life with a foot in both worlds. His entire life Cale has lived by a very clear set of rules; protect those who can't protect themselves, keep your powers hidden from the public, do not befriend the enemy. But as it turns out, Cale was never really one to follow the rules. See inside for full summery *Formally Tempus et Locus
1. Chapter 1

*Re-written as of 02.10.2018*

I have to laugh - guess who is back with yet another story. This was something I had stashed away and I'm kinda back into writing now but whatever...I just want to upload for funnies so I hope you all enjoy the read.

 **Full Summery -** Neither human nor Asgardian, Caelum Turner lives his life with a foot in both worlds but never truly belonging in either. Having grown up in the custody of SHIELD after the death of his father, Cale has the pleasure of being known as the youngest Avenger. His entire life Cale has lived by a very clear set of rules; protect those who can't protect themselves, keep your powers hidden from the public, do not befriend the enemy. When the God of Mischief enters his life, everything that Cale knows is turned upside down, friendships grown and romance starts to bloom. Lines that were once so clear, start to blur. As it turns out, Cale was never really one to follow the rules.

* * *

 ** _Tell me where do I go_**

The first time he truly met Loki Laufeyson was right after the Battle of New York. Close encounters and exchanges of magic were not enough in Caelum Turner's eyes to be considered a true meeting. He wanted to know why the Asgardian was the monster under the bed according to the other Avengers. From all the stories his father had read to him as a kid, it only made Cale think of one thing - the god deserved to be pissed off at everyone. Laying in bed staring at the plasterboard wall of his standard issue bedroom, it was the only thing on Cale's mind.

And it wasn't through lack of trying.

Natasha would chastise him for even thinking that way, but right now he really couldn't care less about the state of his mind. Cale was curious by nature, he always had been, and the assassin was always telling him that curiosity killed the cat, especially when it came to a sociopath like Loki. Clint would tell him that he was only nineteen, just a kid, that he didn't understand what was going on despite the fact that SHIELD and the Avengers had used him to fight for them. Cale but his lip and threw back the covers. "This is stupid," the teenager muttered.

Only twenty-four hours had passed since the fight, and the World Security Council argued over what was going to happen to the enemy commander. Loki was locked away in a prison cell, bound and muzzled to prevent him from using his powers. Cale was going to pay the man a visit, or at least try to. He pulled on a shirt, wincing at the stitches in his chest that pulled against his skin. He may have an Asgardian mother but it didn't mean he had their ability to heal instantly. He opened the door and made his way down the corridor or the SHIELD facility they were staying in. Tony had offered him a room at Stark Tower but Cale declined, in hindsight, this was probably the reason why.

"Is there a problem Agent Turner?" The man that had asked the question was one of the guards the frequently patrolled this level. Cale was pretty sure his name was Aaron but the tag on his uniform just said WEST. They did this whenever the teenager was struck with one of his infamous bouts of insomnia. It was almost like it was a game at this point.

Cale shook his head. "Nope. No problem. Just going for a walk. Like I always do when I can't sleep." He smiled warmly at him, pausing casually. "How's Lorna? What about the kids?" he questioned, curious about the man's wife and family. He'd gotten to know about them one day during lunch by accident, since then he'd been a well of information on them.

"Lorna's good, so is the baby," West grinned. "We had the nineteen week scan the other day and the baby's a girl. Lorna is over the moon, she's finally gotten that girl she always wanted. And Tommy scored his first goal at soccer the other day, Bradley managed to play his first song on the piano. The family is going pretty damn well Cale."

He grinned. "Well that's great, say hi to them for me when you get home," Cale urged him. "And tell Tommy to keep up the good work and I'm dying to hear Bradley play something...anything really."

West chuckled. "You'll probably regret saying that but I'm sure Bradley would love it." He checked his watch and sighed. "I'm overdue for my next checkpoint call-in. Sorry Cale, gotta go."

Satisfied that West actually believed him, Cale continued on his way. It really wasn't uncommon for any of them to see the redhead walking around the building in his pajamas late at night, often barefoot and munching on candy of some kind. Cale stopped near a stairwell and headed on down, eventually leaving the building altogether.

The facility that Cale had lived in for the past five years of his life had its own prison on the other side of the compound, but mostly it was just living quarters. Whilst it was rarely used due to the minimal security, the last day had been incredibly interesting to say the least. There were people everywhere, even at this time of night. None of them seemed to be bothered by the teenager walking around in Captain America pajamas and an Iron Man shirt {Tony would have a field day}. Cale ventured inside the building only to find himself immediately stopped by two men he'd never seen before. "You can't be here kid."

"Um...why?" he asked innocently, tilting his head to the side. For whatever reason, Cale figured that none of them knew exactly who he was or what he could do.

"Junior agents don't have the security clearance to be in here." The second of the pair lent over and whispered something in his companions ear, his eyes grew wide and he stared at Cale like he'd suddenly grown an extra head or something. "You're an Avenger?" It was almost hard to believe that a skinny kid with red hair and too many freckles could be a defender of the Earth...especially seeing him standing there looking like he needed a solid twenty hours sleep.

Cale nodded. "Yup. Caelum Turner. I'm just checking shit out incase Loki pulls a fast one. So that gives me...like five minutes before you dob me into the brass right?" he asked. "Ten at most?" Seeing the dumbfounded looks on both their faces made him grin like the Cheshire Cat. "Thanks guys. Appreciate it. I'm sure I can get you a fruit basket for the trouble. Or one off those chocolate flower things. But you gotta share." He stepped between the two and continued on down the corridor, taking another two flights of stairs before he found the floor that he was looking for.

The cells were running parallel to each other were empty aside from the life force at the end of the corridor. The two guards guarding the only occupied cell hadn't even noticed that Cale was there. He squared his shoulders and immediately started to weave a spell inside his mind. His mother was an Asgardian sorceress, and his father was a former member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Magic was in his blood, no matter how he choose to look at it. Once the spell was weaved together, Cale flicked his wrist, layering the entire thing over the level, allowing him to walk right through the walls. The sight inside the cell made his heart pound inside his chest.

And he wasn't sure if it was in a good way or not.

He stepped forward and knelt in front of the bound god, not phased in the slightest when those emerald eyes flickered open, glaring daggers at him. "Hello," Cale waved, smiling widely. "I'm Caelum...you probably remember me from when you took the Tesseract from SHIELD and brainwashed my adoptive brother. Stay still for me for a second." He reached forward and took the muzzle off the god, letting it drop to the ground. "Better?"

"What are you doing mortal?" he sneered. The god's lips were curled in a cruel scowl that twisted his sharply perfect features.

Cale found himself a spot on the floor where he looked up at Loki. "You're interesting and well...frankly I wanted to say I can understand why you're pissed off at the system." With a wave of his hand, a glass of water appeared on the ground in front of him. "You want a drink of water?" He propped himself up on his knees to offer the fallen god a drink. Loki appeared to think about it before relenting and allowing him to help. "Better?"

"Why are you being kind to me?" Loki demanded to know. There had to be an ulterior motive in the human's actions, they were a species not to be trusted.

"Because that's what humans do don't we?" Cale shrugged. There was so little truth in that statement that it made him die a little inside. "Well the good ones anyway. Sure we fight over petty things but in the end, most of us are good." He glanced back at the door and sighed, "I've probably got about a hundred and twenty seconds before someone comes busting through the door to drag my ass out of here. It was nice talking to you Loki, even if I was doing most of the talking. I'll probably have to put the muzzle back on, which by the way, given what has happened to you over your life, is pretty cruel."

"And what do you mean by that mortal?" he scowled.

"You were always my favorite god," Cale confessed. "My dad used to read me stories of you when I was a kid much to my mum's annoyance. She was all the Trickster god is the worst god of the lot of them." He held the glass up a second time as to offer him another drink which the god took without question but the sneer remained. Cale had a feeling that Loki always held a constant sneer on his face but guess that his smile had to be stunning. "Can I ask you to do something for me? I get that you don't owe me anything considering we royally kicked your ass, but I don't know what's going to happen to you but if you end up in your super secret Asgard prison and they don't kill you, can you keep an eye out for my mum?"

Now it was Loki's turn to be curious about the mortal sitting in front of him. "Your mother? Who is your mother? And why do you get the impression that your mother would be on Asgard?"

"That's because she's from Asgard," he answered. "I had eight glorious years with her before daddy Odin came knocking and stealing her away from me. Her name is Lorelei," Cale smiled softly, putting the muzzle back on the god left a sour taste in his mouth. He just put the final clasp in when the door flew open with a crash and the two of them found Thor standing there with a thunderous look on his face. Behind him were Clint and Natasha who, whilst looking like perfectly crafted stone, had anger in their eyes. "And that's my cue. It was a pleasure to officially meet you Loki."

"What in the world do you think you're doing kid?" Clint demanded to know. He grabbed Cale under the arm, practically dragging him out of the cell. "You don't just stand there and have a chat with him, he's the enemy! He's not your best friend Caelum!"

Cale rolled his eyes. "Pity, next I was thinking we could sit there and braid each other's hair, talk about boys. That sort of thing." Seeing the glare on Clint's face made the sorcerer snort. "I couldn't sleep, I was curious. So I wanted to see Loki. Seriously Clint that's some fucked up human rights violations. No food, no water? I offered him something to drink. So sue me." The theenager crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, daring them to challenge him. "You SHIELD guys can be pretty heartless sometimes you know that?" he pouted as Thor came out of the cell, slamming the door behind him.

"What kind of game are you playing Son of Turner?!" Thor demanded to know. He crossed his arms, trying to impose his height on the younger male. "You need to explain yourself immediately."

"I don't need to do anything," Cale answered. He yawned and ran a hand through his hair, making the red strands stick up all over the place. "I'm tired, guess we'll see each other later Thor." The teenager walked back in the direction of his bedroom. He almost thought he'd gotten back to his room scott-free but before he could open his door, Cale felt a hand on his arm. When he looked down, he saw the familiar feminine hand that belonged to Natasha. She was here to give him that lecture he knew was coming. "Can it wait until morning? I'm tired."

"Afraid not kiddo," Natasha responded. "You know the rules about pulling stuff like that. The fact those agents even let you pass just because you're one of-"

"Hey, you guys recruited me to the team in the first place," Cale cut her off. "Honestly Nat, I can look after myself even when it comes to sociopathic guy like Loki, who, by the way, is so misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Natasha quoted. The assassin had the trademark explain yourself immediately look on her face or she was going to make you. The look had a habit of making Cale want to confess his every crime. Coming into SHIELD custody at the age of eleven, and growing up with older sibling figures like Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton meant that Cale had a minor ability to resist that. "He murdered thousands of people over the last week Caelum. Directly or indirectly. He's not just misunderstood. You need to be more careful. Now go back to sleep and we can talk with Director Fury about this in the morning."

"Do I have to Nat?" Cale pouted.

"It's either that or you can look at the college applications that Tony left for you," the assassin grinned, a feral glint in her eyes. Both she and Clint were trying to get Cale to find an interest in attending university. They were of the like mind that there was more to life than just using your powers to fight crime. Apparently he could be out there getting drunk, enjoying life...or something like that. Ever since he'd met both Tony and Pepper, the pressure to be normal was getting more intense. It was hard for them to understand that Cale didn't want normal. He wasn't even remotely like that. Caelum Turned embraced the weird and everything that came with it.

Cale sighed and crossed his arms. "Fine. We can talk to Director Fury after eleven. Anything earlier than that is just straight out horrible."

Natasha arched an eyebrow. "Caelum, you're a SHIELD agent-"

"Who just participated in a giant battle of New York and used nearly all my magic reserves," Cale cut her off. "I'm tapped out. I need sleep but I'm wired and my body won't allow me to do any of that. I'm half Asgardian, half human. The human part of me gives me my limitations Nat."

"Over tired huh?" the assassin concluded. "Look, Cale, just try and get some sleep okay? And stay away from Loki." Yeah he was never living that one down. "He'll be gone tomorrow with Thor, and as you said when he first came to Earth, you don't know if you can trust him not to report your existence back to Odin considering the man doesn't know you exist. Just be careful Cale."

Cale nodded as he opened his door, the memory of him coming home from school to find his father on the sofa crying and his mother gone was still fresh in his mind. "I always am red. Night Nat." The teenager closed the door in her face and trudged back over to his bed. Putting aside the lecture that he knew he was going to get from Fury in the morning, Cale couldn't stop grinning. He was officially curious about Loki Laufeyson and you know what they say about curiosity killing the cat...Cale always wanted to know if he had nine lives.


	2. Chapter 2

I _finally_ got around to finishing the chapter. It's been sitting in my drafts for a few weeks and whilst I'm not entirely happy with the length of the chapter, I've just decided that I can't add anything else to it.

Please enjoy the chapter - I do not own Marvel, I'm just playing in their sandbox

* * *

 _What I have in my heart and soul must find a way out_

 _\- Ludwig van Beethoven_

It had been four months since the Battle of New York and whilst life was just getting back to normal for most of the people that lived in the city, Cale was finding it hard to adjust to the changes in his own life. Behind his back, Tony went and enrolled the teenager in at NYU and much to his chagrin, Director Fury agreed with his underhanded methods. Apparently the psychologist that did his quarterly assessments didn't agree with the fact that he didn't have any _normal_ friends to hang out with.

Cale tried to argue the fact that he didn't _need_ to go to college, but in the end he was practically blackmailed into going. The classes were boring and the teenagers that attended campus for their education were childish. When it boiled right down to it, it was probably his life experiences that made him think like that...nobody there had been through what he'd been through. The teenager ended up skipping more than he attended his lectures, even if Tony was paying for them. When it came to learning new things, the redhead preferred to see how to do something hands on, book learning was not something he was interested in at all.

The months that followed after the incident, Cale found that his powers were starting to expand and grow. Normally that wouldn't have bothered him but for some reason, they'd chosen to lock themselves onto the God of Mischief who was currently imprisoned in Asgard for his crimes. Were they dreams? Was he actually projecting himself on the astral plane? Was he actually going to Asgard? Cale wasn't sure exactly what was going on but the first time it happened, he went to sleep as normal with the intention of waking up in a few hours like he always did.

 _When he opened his eyes, Cale happened to find himself standing in the middle of a lush garden full of every type of flower imaginable along with others that he didn't recognize. The redhead knelt and picked up a flower, watching in morbid wonder as the golden petals bloomed and then floated off in the wind. Wherever he was, the smell was nothing like he'd ever encountered before and it made him feel all floaty and happy. Cale grinned and stood up, plucking another flower from the ground before he turned to try and figure out where he was._

 _Loki Laufeyson was standing right behind him. The God stared at Cale like he was some kind of mutant monster that he'd never seen before and before he could speak, Loki grabbed him around the throat and slammed him into the ground. "How did you get into my dreams?!" he snapped._

 _Cale found himself gasping for air as he clawed at the hand around his neck, squeezing tighter and cutting off all his air. How the hell was he supposed to answer that question when Loki was strangling him? "Can't...breath…" he managed to rasp. "Can't...answer…dumbass" The grip around his throat lessened but Loki didn't let go. Cale took the opportunity to punch the trickster in the face, it was enough to shock him into letting go and allow him the chance to get up. "Fucking hell!" he hissed, rubbing his throat. "I'm supposed to be asleep you asshole!"_

" _You're in my dreams!" Loki accused. "Nobody should be able to get into my dreams, least of all a mortal!"_

" _I'm not mortal dumbass," Cale scoffed, rubbing his throat. "I'm half-Asgardian. Look, I didn't come here on purpose, my abilities have been all over the place lately and all I did was go to sleep like I normally do. Then bam, I'm dream walking with a sociopath."_

" _You go here, you should be able to get out." The god got to his feet and seemed to disappear altogether through some kind of shimmering rift. Cale took the opportunity to follow him, emerging on the other side in a golden throne room where Loki sat upon the throne watching the faceless members of his court. "You dare follow me?!" he scowled, standing with a staff in hand._

 _Cale glanced around the throne room, he cocked an eyebrow. "Wow, you'd be a psychologists wet dream Loki. Faceless courtiers? Are you elevating yourself above the others now?" He ran a hand through his hair and groaned at the dull beeping sound groaning in the back of his head. He'd only been here for a few moments but his alarm was already going off?_

" _What is that incessant noise?" Loki demanded to know, his eyes scanning the throne room before falling upon Cale. "Explain yourself mortal."_

" _You don't like me...do you?" Cale asked, trying to ignore the sound ringing in his ears. He crossed his arms and stared at the god from across the hall. "The only thing I ever did to you was fight against the army you sent through to Earth in an effort to kill everyone. It's not like I was gonna take that lying down! I get it, I really do, you're jaded and the universe is against you. Could you get anymore like an angsty goth teenager? If you want me to go, please really does go a long way trickster."_

 _Loki tilted his head to the side and studied the teenager curiously, it was almost like he was trying very carefully to choose his next words and Cale had no idea why. "Or I could just expell you out." He raised his staff and tapped it to the ground twice, before Cale was able to object, he suddenly felt a pulling inside his chest as he was flung backwards…_

Cale's eyes flickered open and he sat up with a groan, blindly he fumbled around beside him to turn his alarm off and fell back into the bed. Honestly it felt like he'd only been asleep for a few minutes and not the six hours he'd just gotten. What the hell was that? Was he dream walking? Did he astral project? It was hard to understand things like this when he had no one to help him understand. Cale picked up his phone off the nightstand and glanced at the time, it was early, only a little after six...too early to call Tony and ask him for his opinion and his pseudo siblings were away completing a mission in Germany...sometimes he wished that magic was just as simple as science...

* * *

The intrusion into the God of Mischief's dreams continued for several weeks before Cale came up with an idea. It was a rather good idea in his opinion and he only hoped that Loki agreed with him. Up until that point, he'd just treated Cale like one would a fly, annoying but something that he wasn't able to get rid of no matter how much he tried. Each time Loki expelled the teenager from his dreams, Cale would be back the following night bringing his snark with him. Each dream was different despite the fact that Cale desperately wanted to see that field of flowers again; the one time he asked, Loki kicked him out and it actually _hurt_ like a bitch. It was like Cale had been throughout all of the nine realms without even leaving his own bedroom.

Cale had a late evening training session with Clint and Nat. Both pseudo siblings were worried that his skills were becoming a little rusty and boy did they put him through his paces. After getting his ass kicked and a meal that he barely ate in the mess, Cale dragged himself back to his quarters for a shower and some homework. It was well past one in the morning by the time the teenager crawled into bed, he had contemplated taking a sleeping tablet so he didn't have to deal with another trip to Asgard but Cale couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd come to like these visits with the god. He heard his phone ping to life, a message coming through from god knows where as sleep claimed him.

" _I was beginning to think that you weren't coming Caelum." Cale tilted his head to the side with his lips pressed together as he tried to ascertain what exactly Loki had meant by that. The god hated having him around, and said so, often. But there he was standing there flicking through a book and tapping his foot like he was waiting for him._

" _You hate me," Cala frowned, taking a seat by the window in Loki's dream library. "But right now you're all I was beginning to think you weren't coming and confusing the hell out of me." He sighed and sat back, closing his eyes; was it possible for someone to be tired in their dreams? "It's just been a stupid day...but then again I can't really complain because I'm not locked up in a magical super prison for trying to take over the world."_

" _Caelum you're babbling." The god liked to think that he knew the hybrid well enough to peg him for a babbler when he was nervous about something. "One would assume that there is something on your mind." Loki placed the book back on the shelf of his dream library and turned to face the teenager who looked tired even if his body was actually sleeping away back on earth. "What do you have on your mind?"_

 _Cale sat up straight in the chair and ran a hand over his face. "I had a thought the other day. This, what we're doing...honestly I still can't figure out what I'm doing or how I'm doing it so I figured that I should ask you if you can teach me. Or at least attempt to teach me. All my tricks that I use are all trial and error, self-taught mojo and you are the god of lies, illusion and all that jazz."_

" _And you want me to teach you?" Loki asked, amusement dripping in his voice. "I was wrong Caelum, you are highly amusing for a mortal."_

" _Okay...so put it this way jackass," Cale scowled. "You fill in the gaps of my training and then I can stop bothering you and we can both get a peaceful night sleep? Cause I seriously don't even how my own biolog works and how I'm going to age, so for all I know, I could be pestering the fuck out of you for a long, long time."_

 _The silence coming from Loki said more than he thought could possibly be said. It told Cale that the god was at least considering it. "If you are to be my student, that would mean that you must do what I tell you to do at all times. Correct?"_

" _Don't push your luck Loki," Cale answered. "You still helped murder thousands of people. So, what will it be?"_


	3. Chapter 3

Two chapters in two days? Must have been replaced by aliens...not really, just taking a break from gaming and being emotionally destroyed by Infinity War inspired me.

I do not own Marvel, I'm just playing in their sandbox

* * *

Yet another yawn escaped Cale as he stepped off the bus and onto campus, earphones blocking out the mundane noise of everyday life and coffee in hand to make it just that little bit more bearable. Instead of taking one of the agency cars like he did everyday, he decided to get Natasha to drop him off and take the bus so he could spend some time alone with his thoughts. Life had been stupidly hectic lately, between the lessons he was getting at school, his secret lessons with Loki and his other life as a SHIELD agent, Cale was starting to think that burning the candle at both ends was going to be his undoing.

His first class for the day was physics with Professor Bretts before he had a two hour gap until his next class. Cale should have known something was off when he entered the classroom, the gawking and angry looks that he was getting were all kinds of strange but he just brushed them off, they were looks he'd been getting from the day Tony dropped him off. He turned his music off and yanked his headphones out of his ear, it was only then he realised that the room was _deathly_ silent. "Ah-Jake, what's going on?"

Jake Reilly was probably the only student that Cale could tolerate in this sea of hormones and stupidity. It also helped that he was really, really cute and was always up for a chat with the socially reclusive dork. He cast a sideways glance at Cale and scowled, "don't talk to me freak."

Now that threw Cale off more than he thought it would have. "Jake-" He barely managed to miss the punch flying at the back of his head, years of training kicked in and Cale spun around, grabbing the fist before it could land it's intended punch. "What the fuck?!" he snapped, glaring at the football jerk who had just tried to king hit him.

"My mother _died_ in that fight!" he growled. "You and the rest of the Avengers are a goddamn fucking menace Turner!" It probably said something that this guy knew his name but Cale didn't know his.

"What are you talking about?" Cale demanded to know, letting go of his fist and stepping back incase the guy tried to strike him again. It wasn't as if he couldn't defend himself but the hairs on the back of his neck were starting to stand up and he nearly jumped when Jake got up from his seat with his phone.

"They're talking about this," he hissed. Jake practically threw his phone at Cale, his pale green eyes were practically on fire at this point. "You're one of them, the Avengers, aren't you?"

Cale took the phone, his face about as blank as stone but internally he was freaking out. Had his cover been blown already? Fuck Fury and Nat were gonna kill him, he was supposed to be laying low. His eyes grew wide at the camera footage of him landing on the ground with a Chitauri on his back. The familiarity of the memory flooded over him, the alien ripped off his mask and Cale blasted him away with a burst of green energy. He watched himself walk back over to the mask and pick it up before putting it back on and launching off the ground into the air.

 _Fuck he was well and truly screwed at this point._

When he hit the pause, all the colour drained from his face when he realized that clip had been uploaded onto the online student notice board. Cale handed Jake his phone back whilst his brain tried to figure out how to process this, he had to get out of this room, suddenly it felt like it was going to choke him. "Jake-" Before Cale could say another word, the teenager punched him right in the face. Whilst it hurt physically, the emotional pain he got from it was more than Cale would have expected.

"Get the fuck out of here before the rest of them start landing punches!" Jake sneered. He pushed Cale back and sat down at his desk, looking away from him.

Caelum Turner would not let them see him crumble, no sir. He ignored the blinding pain in his face as he made a point of slowly leaving the classroom, at this point he knew that most of the campus knew. The stares he was getting were either gawks of wonder or glares of rage.

 _Shit, shit, shit_. What the hell was he gonna do? Maybe he should call Tony? Tony was out and proud as Iron Man but he was also a multi-billionaire and could fix any damage he caused by throwing money at it. Cale rushed along the walkway and eventually found himself in an isolated part of the campus, he leant back against the wall to give himself a minute to compose himself before unlocking his phone to search for Tony's number. "Tony this is Cale, I _need_ you to call me back as soon as you fucking can, someone compromised my identity and the _whole_ campus knows!" He hung up and shoved his phone back in his jacket pocket as emerald sparks jumped off his skin.

 _Fuck the fucking internet._ Now that it was online, there was no way that the damage could be undone.

"Wow you really are like a giant human battery aren't you?" Cale looked up to see another student mark a place in her book before snapping it shut and getting off the bench she sat on. She tucked a strand of bright blue hair behind her ear and gave him the once over with an arched eyebrow. "Don't take this the wrong way but you're kinda scrawny for one of the Earth's defenders."

"Excuse me?!" Cale growled. He honestly didn't know how to take that, she didn't look angry at him or appear to be gawking. "I'm kinda in the middle of something that has nothing to do with you so leave me alone."

"First of all, this is _my_ spot," she responded. "I come here when dealing with the hormonal idiots becomes too much and I was here first. You're kinda arrogant aren't you?" She tucked her book under her arm and grabbed her bag off the bench, "just cause your Harry Potter doesn't mean you get to be a jackass." She shoved the book in her bag and slung it over her back as Cale's phone started to ring. "If I were you, I wouldn't look at the comments on the video, they're downright nasty and borderline disturbing...I think it takes courage to be a hero and step up at the risk of your own life."

Cale hit the answer button when he saw Tony's name flash across the screen. "Um...thanks...I think?"

"See you around Caelum Turner." She made her way down the walkway and stopped at the end, "name's Amelia by the way. You never need someone to talk to, you'll find I'm a really good listener."

He nearly jumped ten feet in the air when he heard Tony shout his name on the other end of the phone. Cale pressed his lips together and lifted the phone to his ear. "Yeah Tony?"

" _I'm at the student pick up with Happy, you're lucky I was on my way home from an early morning meeting_ ," Tony told him. " _Get your ass here now Cale. I've already called Fury to let him know what's happened. JARVIS is working on the footage but now that it's out there._ "

"Yeah, yeah I know," he sighed. "Once it's there there isn't a way to get it down. See you in a few minutes Tony." Cale hung up and practically raced through the lesser known corridors of the college campus until he spotted Tony's town car at the student pick up zone. He got into the car without taking note of the small crowd that had gathered and slammed the door behind him. "Tony I am so sorry!"

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Tony asked him as Happy started the car. "You didn't upload the video did you? But the damage is done now, we can't undo it. What we can do is damage control. Stark Tower Happy, Pep's gonna meet us there. " The man had his eyes practically glued to the screen of his phone as his fingers tapped away at a message so he could start that damage control he was speaking about.

Cale sat back and groaned. "This was not how I wanted my day to start. I did everything Nat and Clint taught me, I kept out of sight, I never used my powers in public and some little fuckwit uploads this to the online notice board just cause they can? Fuck them and the unicorn they rode in on. Stupid mortals."

Tony looked up from what he was doing. "Stupid mortals?" he quoted.

 _Caelum Matthew Turner your Loki is showing._

"Sorry, I guess I'm just tired and this is the icing on the cake." The last thing he needed was for the team to know he was hanging out with Loki in his dreams. Although thanks to the God of Mischief, Cale's powers were growing and he had a better, more stable grasp on them. The other night he'd managed to go the whole night without being dragged to the god's dreams, but the following day Cale was drained and too weak to get out of bed. It was a catch twenty-two really. The teenager sat back and stared out the window so he could watch the city as it went by, he stayed silent the entire trip, listening to the radio and Tony as he worked on controlling the fall out from this situation.

When they arrived at Stark Tower, Cale followed Tony into the lift that took them straight to the floor where the billionaire kept his private apartments. "Dump your stuff on the sofa and help yourself to a drink in the kitchen," he instructed as he called someone. "Fury will be here soon with Nat so we can figure out what is going on. For now, I think it's best if you get comfortable, you're gonna be here a while."

Tony left Cale standing in the middle of the room, leaving the teenager with no choice but to go and get that drink that was suggested to him. He took his jacket off and dropped it with his things before heading into the kitchen. By the time he'd managed to find the herbal tea and make himself a cup, a helicopter had landed on the helipad just outside the door. Cale crossed back over to the sofa and sat down beside his things as Fury came in with both Natasha and Maria Hill following him. "Director Fury."

"Care to explain this clusterfuck that I'm being bombarded with Caelum?" Fury demanded to know. "And explain to me who the hell Jake Reilly is to get that kind of footage in the first place?"

Cale stared at him with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. "Jake uploaded it?!" he asked him.

"That's what the data says," Tony answered as he walked back into the room. "Judging by the look on your face kid, you certainly know who he is. But that's not the problem."

"The problem is what you're gonna do with me now that everyone knows who I am," Cale sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "what are you going to do?"

"Well for starters, you're moving in here," Tony answered before Fury could. "And you don't get to say yes or no in the matter Cale."

"Why?" Cale demanded to know. "I know you've been trying to get me to live off-base for a while now-"

"It's not that Cale," Natasha cut him off. "You're out now and there is nothing that we can do about it but the location of the base needs to be kept a secret. So moving you here to Stark Tower is the best and safest idea instead instead of the SHIELD facility. We're not trying to get rid of you Cale but it's better this way. You know it is."

"You can't all just decide this behind my back!" Cale argued. "That's just….that's just wrong and unfair." Despite the situation, he was pretty pissed off with choices being made behind his back.

Fury arched an eyebrow. "Wrong and unfair. Well toughen up kid, life ain't fair and you need to learn you don't always get your own way. You're moving in with Stark whist I try and smooth things over with the college if you want to keep going."

" _Of course_ I want to keep going to school." Honestly Cale was surprised by the words that came out of his own mouth and if anyone ever asked him why he said them, the teenager would deny it every damn time. "Fine, dammit, you win. I'll move in here if that's gonna make it better," he growled at Tony.

"Great, Clint's coming with your stuff," Natasha told him. "You'll see it's better out here. You can be a proper teenager as best you can Cale." She clapped him on the shoulder affectionately and smiled in that typical Natasha fashion. "This will all work out, trust me."

* * *

 _Cale was pacing backwards and forwards across the room as he tried to wrap his head around what happened yesterday. It was well after midnight before the teenager managed to get himself to sleep, the day had managed to get worse as it progressed and eventually the teenager had to get JARVIS to automatically delete any emails that weren't from the usually subjects._

 _When he'd fallen asleep, he'd felt that telltale pull but tonight Cale was too tired to fight the dream walking. He was surprised to find that he wasn't in any of the usual places but instead the farm where his father had raised him until HYDRA came. This kind of crap was not what he needed to deal with today._

" _Well this is different. A farm...how boring and quant." The trickster leant against the back of the sofa in the rusticly decorated living room with books scattered about. When Cale didn't take the bait, Loki straightened up and watched him walk to one side of the room then walk right over to the other side. "There seems to be something on your mind Caelum."_

" _No shit Sherlock," Cale scoffed. "I've just had a shit day and I was not looking forward to lessons where I get yelled at and called a foolish mortal. Someone I trusted betrayed me by posting a video of my secret identity online. The Battle of New York, I lost my mask and they found it. So I'm on house arrest and it fucking sucks." He sighed and stopped in the middle of the open sliding doors that lead out onto the deck. "What lessons do you have in place for me today?" he asked, not wanting to talk about his shit day anymore._

 _Loki crossed the room and stood beside him. "I'm going to teach you about Asgard's hidden paths between the realms."_


	4. Chapter 4

I don't use a beta, so any mistakes are my own.

I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this universe, I only own Caelum Stark, some parts of the plot and any other OC's I make up. All rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics go to their respective owners.

* * *

Cale did as much of his school work from his new home for the next two weeks. Lecture notes were sent to him from his professors and Tony had managed to keep his spot at the college by donating a new building to the school. There was nothing that copious amounts of money thrown at you by Tony Stark that couldn't be solved...that and a perfectly worded press release written by Pepper. The damn thing was all over the news within hours of it happening and Cale's house arrest got worse. But he was at that point that he had to go back to school and get glared at, possibly hit again...this was gonna be great.

Happy dropped him off at the student pick up zone and Cale made his way towards the science building for his chemistry class. When he got there, the first person he noticed was Jake leaning against the entryway, arms cross against his chest and green eyes piercing through Cale's protective outer shell. "So you actually came back," he noted. "Bold, but Stark's got money enough to ensure you keep your place here."

Cale didn't want to bite but he couldn't help himself. "You know what, this isn't exactly easy Jake. Trying to juggle my life as Magus and as Caelum Turner. Then you upload that shit to the student notice board and the whole world gets a hold of it...you're just fucking lucky I have no one I care about that can be used to hurt me." Those words hit home hard and sent an emotional shockwave through his body...he did have no one to be used against him. Could the Avengers be considered family? The thought was laughable and sad. "You're a bastard, you know that? At least I save people, you just fuck them over."

Jake studied him closely and sighed. "Look, I found the footage whilst cleaning out some of the old archive stuff on my dad's old laptop. Uploading it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but I guess I was kinda pissed off that you didn't say anything to me. We're friends."

"We were," Cale scoffed. "And we could have been more but you fucked it up when you exposed me. I liked you Jake, I really, really liked you which is weird for me since I don't like anyone. Then you go and do this, I can't trust you." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "I'm just here to learn, not make any friends."

"Cale-" he started to object but stopped. "This is a private conversation Williams. Bugger off."

"Oh because you're such an honest, well-meaning individual?" she snorted. "I'm on my way to natural sciences and you're in my way and Cale clearly doesn't wanna talk to you." She nudged the redhead with her hip, lightly pushing him out of the way and away from Jake. "Come on Callie, walk me to class. You can do better than Jake."

For someone so small, she certainly had an iron grip of her own. Cale found himself being pulled away from Jake and into the building, his protests falling on deaf ears. Once he was safely away from her, Cale yanked his hand out of her grip and scowled at her. "What on earth is your game lady?"

She pressed her lips together. "My name is Amelia Williams, second year into studies to become a marine biologist. You?" It was like his question didn't even register.

"Biomedical engineering," Cale answered. Tony had picked the course for him after seeing the teenager in action aboard the helicarrier. He was willing and ready to assist both Bruce and Tony in the lab whilst they were trying to work out Loki's staff, of course Cale had to agree but it only took a few days for him to realize that he really enjoyed the courses offered. "Look, Amelia, thanks for helping me back there but I don't understand why."

"You look like you could use a friend," Amelia pointed out. "And you kinda remind me of me when I first started college, isolated and in desperate need of a friend. Meet me at the cafeteria and we can have lunch together then go from there."

"But why?" Cale asked her.

"Because you need friends outside your little gang of superheroes," Amelia answered. "So we'll catch each other at lunch yeah?"

"I don't think so," he frowned, staring at the photo on the wall of an idyllic ocean view. "What I said to Jake wasn't a lie. I don't have anyone that can't look after themselves to care about, now that people know who I am you're more a liability than anything. Thanks for the offer Amelia but I'm going to decline."

"No you're not," she called back as she headed into her classroom. "See you at lunch Callie."

Cale grumbled under his breath and started to make his way to his first class of the day but stopped when his phone rang. He ducked into an empty room and answered the call when he saw the name JARVIS pop up across the screen. "Um...JARVIS, why are you calling me?"

" _I have been directed to Times Square Caelum, there is some kind of animal on the loose that is either a loose experiment or something that's managed to escape detection from the battle of New York. You are the closest one with the ability to do anything about it. Local law enforcement lack the weapons to take care of the creature and the military will no mobilize in time._ "

"You're joking right?" Cale groaned. "Fucking hell JARVIS I'm about to go into class for an exam." He ducked out of the room and dashed down the corridor towards the janitor's closet where he stashed his bag. "I'm on my way JARVIS, do what you need to do."

" _Already done Caelum. Come back in one piece or Tony will not be pleased._ "

"Yeah let's not talk about what makes Tony pleased," Cale muttered as he hung up. He put his phone in his bag and when he left the room, the teenager sealed the door so no one could get in. He nearly crashed into Jake running out to find a good place to take off.

"Cale-" he started.

"Can't talk," Cale cut him off as his skin glowed green and he propelled himself into the air. Flying was easy, it was a skill he hadn't developed until a few weeks before the business with the Chitauri, even then his ability to do so was shaky and he couldn't stay in the air for long periods of time. Now it was like breathing in a way.

It didn't take too long to find what he was looking for, Times Square was a mess of mangled cars, scattered people screaming and something as on fire, the most notable thing was the giant hole in the middle of the road. Officers were using their squad cars as cover but as they held their weapons like it was the one thing to save their lives, Cale could see the fear and confusion on their faces. He landed on the ground and took a few steps back as he looked around. No sign of whatever creature was supposed to be terrorizing the area.

Cale turned back to the police, trying to find someone who appeared to be in charge of this entire situation. Eventually he spotted a man in a suit with a gun in hand and walked over to him. "You in charge?" he asked. He had to be a detective or something.

"Who the hell are you kid?" He glanced around and his eyes landed back on Cale. "You just flew...you're that kid from news, the Avenger."

"Yeah that's me. There's some kind of thing on the loose, wanna tell me where it is so I can go back and take my exam I'm missing out on?" he asked.

"Detective Reyes, guess you're what we're getting for this." Cale was trying not to scowl at the disappointment in the detective's voice. Yeah, so he wasn't Tony but he was still a good fighter. "This thing...it looks like a wolf but it's gigantic, bigger than a food vendor truck. It disappeared down there. They've suspended all trains running underneath but just be careful. You look like a strong wind could break you."

He ignored that. "Down the big imposing hole in the ground?" Cale pinched the bridge of his nose. "As if this was supposed to be easy." He made his way over to the edge and let his mind sweep over the area, he could feel it infecting everything with its unique touch, sinking, memorizing, implanting it all in his mind. It took a few minutes but finally Cale found himself with a full map of the immediate area in his head. There were two energy signatures that didn't belong. The teenager took a step forward and plunged into darkness, when he hit the ground, green fire enveloped Cale's hand to give him enough light to see.

He walked down the deserted tunnel, following the first energy signature through the darkness. His senses were screaming, it was almost like he was ready for some kind of fight, ready to take on the entire world if he had to. This was technically the first job that he'd been trusted with since the Chitauri and Cale _wanted_ to make an impression, prove he was able to handle anything.

A low growl vibrated off the stone walls, forcing Cale to stop in his tracks. He turned and looked down what looked to be another subway tunnel before he stepped off the beaten track and onto the path less travelled. The fire burned bigger and brighter on his hand, lighting the way and illuminating the tunnel ahead of him. "Fuck me," he whispered, nearly tripping at the sight of the wolf cornered at the end of the line.

Underneath all the dirt and grime, the wolf would have been white and no kidding it was the side of a small food vendor truck. There was no way this thing was from a lab or left over from the Chitauri invasion, it had to been from somewhere but right now Cale was drawing a blank. What he did notice was the way it kept licking its paw, like it was wounded. "Hey big guy," he spoke in a gentle tone, trying to show the giant creature that he was not a danger to him. Wounded animals were dangerous when they were backed into a corner. Cale approached slowly, watching the wolf as it growled deep in its throat and licked a bleeding paw. "It hurts huh?" he asked it. "I can help if you'll let me."

The wolf stuck it's snout in the air and sniffed. Cale had read once that a wolf's sense of smell was about a hundred times greater than humans and they used it to perfect the art of hunting. Whatever it was looking for, it must have known that he wasn't going to hurt it so it lowered its head to the ground and just watched him with golden eyes. Cale knelt down beside the paw and looked at it carefully, he could smell burnt flesh and singed fur. He pressed his lips together and placed his hands over the top, waiting as they glowed green and he started to draw the pain away from the beast.

As he worked on the wound, Cale took careful note of the creature; it's big paws and the way it acted reminded him of the time his father got him a puppy for his fifth birthday. If this was a pup than he hated to see how big the adults were. When his work was finished, Cale pulled back as sweat dripped into his eyes. The teenager wiped it off his head and sat back on his hunches. "Now we just gotta figure out how you even got here in the first place and see if we can get you home big guy."

The beast got up and tested its weight on its front paw before snapping playfully at Cale and licking him. Before he was able to do anything, the wolf wrapped its jaws around him and tossed Cale up in the air like a dog did a toy. He had to admit, a slightly undignified shriek may have left his mouth only to be silenced as he landed on its back. Cale's mind practically went blank but the first thing he did was hold onto its fur for grim death as it bounded down the tunnel.

Everything went by in a massive blur but Cale could smell the change in the air. That underground subway smell soon disappeared and was replaced by something damp and musty but so, so fresh. Even when he was growing up he'd never smelt air so clear before. Cale managed to look up ahead of where the wolf was taking them and he could see light at the end of the tunnel. He squinted and waited for his eyes to adjust before the two of the burst out into what he now knew was a cave and not a tunnel.

"Holy fuck," Cale whispered as he took in the sea of green surrounding them. Wherever that wolf had brought him it was straight into a forest in the middle of nowhere and Cale had no idea how the fuck he was supposed to get back home. He looked back just in time to watch the dirty wolf bound off through the treeline, leaving him there alone. Where the fuck was he?

The teenager let loose a string of curse words that would have made a sailor blush before he went to get his phone from his pocket. He'd left it in his bag in the closet. He growled and looked around him, Natasha's words of advice flooding through his mind. _If you don't know where you are, find a vantage point, somewhere high, and get your bearings._ Cale needed to get somewhere high…

He launched himself off the ground and jumped to the top of the tree so he could in a complete panoramic view. "Nothing...nothing...holy mother of god…" Every fibre of his body completely shut down at the sight of a collection of elaborate buildings and intricate spires in the distance, the most notable of which was the palace in the center of the city...the way that Thor had described it to him did not do it justice.

Asgard...he was in Asgard. How the hell did Cale manage to get here?


	5. Chapter 5

I don't use a beta, so any mistakes are my own.

I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this universe, I only own Caelum Stark, some parts of the plot and any other OC's I make up. All rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics go to their respective owners.

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there in the top branches of the tree he was perched in but the light in the sky was starting to dim, signalling to Cale that the day was starting to end. Something had to be done because Cale highly doubted that he wanted to be stuck out here all night without even a jacket to keep him warm or anything to protect himself. The wolf had brought him through to Asgard by the way of a hidden path, something that Loki had not long finished teaching him about. When he'd tried to go back the way they'd come, Cale found himself stuck when it came to three tunnels going in opposite directions. So naturally he'd returned to the tree to go through his options. There was always Thor but...how could he get into the city without Odin knowing about it? His father had always maintained his opinion on how dangerous the monarch was and how very far away from Asgard Cale should stay but...well he was stuck here now and there was no way back...yet. He was going to have to bite the proverbial bullet.

A whine at the bottom of the tree alerted him to the fact that his wolf friend was back. Cale landed on the ground just as the creature shook off, sending water in every direction. "Have a bath did you?" he laughed, patting the beast on its side. "Don't suppose you could take me back home could you?" Cale asked. When it looked at him with a blank expression on its face, he sighed. "Guess not. Come on wolf, we need to see if we can find someone to help us."

Cale let his senses spread out around him as he walked through the trees, he was following his energy towards the first sign of life. "You know, if we're gonna be friends, I should at least give you a name." The wolf nudged into his side, nearly tripping Cale over as they walked. "What about Ghost? It's all very _Game of Thrones_."

The wolf huffed at him. "Okay so what about Snow?" More huffing. "You're stupidly picky you know that?" Cale chuckled. "I'm just gonna call you Shiro and you're gonna like it." He could have sworn the beast snorted at him, an action which the teenager completely ignored. The two of them continued through the woods, Cale following the energy as the light continued to fade. He could only hope that they found someone to speak with before night fully descended and god he was so hungry at this point that he would eat anything offered to him. He should have taken Pepper's advice and had breakfast that morning. Cale tensed when he heard a growl in the back of Shiro's throat, the beast's ears were flat against its head and he could see huge teeth from hackles raised. "What is it Shiro?"

 _There were voices in the distance and voices meant people._

But not good people. The wolf by his side was tense and before Cale could do anything, Shiro nuzzled the human beside him and managed to worm him onto his back before he bounded through the woods. The hairs on the back of Cale's neck stood on end and he threw his hand up in the air to create a shield bubble around him just before an arrow shattered against the shield. He swore under his breath and practically plastered his body against Shiro's back so he could hold on for dear life. They were hunters, they had to be. It made sense, people on Asgard had to live as well but this wolf was still just a puppy and Cale suddenly wondered where his mother was.

Cale gripped Shiro's fur and immediately launched himself off the beasts back and landed on the ground behind him. The beast came to a halt and he waved him off, using just a bit of power to push the creature into the trees. "GO!" Cale yelled. He curled his fists and pushed more energy out around him before he practically set the world on fire. Green flames spread out around him and he smirked at the feeling of men being slammed off their horses. Cale hated hunters with a passion, more so than he realized now.

Cale grinned when he heard shouting and yelling only to have it fade when an arrow hit the tree beside him. He swore under his breath and ran off into the woods, choosing a path different to the one that Shiro took, he could have flown but he wanted them to follow him. Dodging branches and tree roots at the same time was something that he'd done many times with Clint, the whole arrow part of the chase was also part of the regular training arrangement they had.

He stopped in his tracks when a man on a horse came into view. The man was wearing armor that looked important...like he wasn't a regular hunter. Cale pulled fire to his hands and threw it outwards to spook the horse, he turned to run and slammed into another armored man that reminded him of running into Thor - something Cale had done on a number of occasions back on earth.

Instantly he froze and held his hands up in surrender. "I give up," Cale blurted out.

"Who are you?!" the man demanded to know. He removed his helmet as two others approached him, one of which forced the teenager to his knees. "Where did you come from? You are not of Asgard!"

"Earth," Cale answered, "I'm from Earth...I'm human." A little white lie never hurt anyone, not at this point anyway. The man looked at him with sheer disgust and stepped away to speak with another in a tone low enough that Cale couldn't hear what was being said. He strained to hear but managed to get himself clipped over the back of the head by a guard holding him into place. Before he could object, Cale was dragged to his feet and literally dumped on a horse. "Hey!" he grunted, tempted to push back when the guard mounted behind him. "Buy me a drink first."

"Silence mortal."

It was the only warning that he was going to get so Cale took it in stride and fell silent. When he'd first met Thor and managed to ask him about Asgard, wanting to know about the world his mother was from, the gods description hadn't really done the city justice. It was just so...golden. The city itself appeared to be built into the rock, large structures with sweeping terraces top many of the cliffs; gleaming pyramids, statues, and columns surrounded the palace {which reminded Cale of a giant pipe organ like the ones that were in churches}.

The guard stopped in the middle of a courtyard beyond the gates of the royal palace and Cale was practically dragged off his horse unceremoniously which caused him to trip. A roar of laughter spread across the yard and Cale's face blazed scarlet. He went to jump to his feet only to stop when a sword kissed his throat. He froze and the fire instantly died down in his hands as his eyes met the warrior holding the blade. "Identify yourself mortal," the guard warned, his voice sharp and alert. Cale held his hands up as another guard pulled him to his feet. A few years of training with a master assassin did not even begin to match up to thousands of years worth of Asgardian training. "How did you get to our realm?"

"That's none of your business," Cale answered. "I request to speak with Thor. We fought together on Earth...I mean Midgard." He wanted to lower his arms but at this point he figured that even the slightest movement might get his head chopped off. The teenager fidgeted and frowned when he heard a crack of thunder travel across the sky, seconds later, the God of Thunder landed on the ground with his trademark jovial smile on his face. "Thor!" the teenager called out.

Thor shifted his hammer and slung it over his shoulder. "Friend Caelum! Heimdall just told me that you had arrived in Asgard. How did you get here?"

Cale lowered his hands when the guards lowered their swords. "Honestly? Not a freaking clue," he lied. "There was a wolf and then it all just got really blurry and now I'm here. Surprise. So if you can just send me back to earth through your magical rainbow bridge I will be perfect. Kay?"

Thor cocked his head to the side. "Caelum, I would take you to my father," the god told him.

"I don't want to meet Odin!" he objected. There was actual fear in the teenagers eyes. "I really, _really_ don't want to meet your father."

"Nonsense Caelum!" Thor boomed. He clapped Cale on the shoulder and steered him away from the the group of soldiers. "I have told him all about my friends on Midgard. Yourself included, my very young friend. I hope the soldiers were treating you well."

"They were hunting," Cale frowned. "A wolf came through to Earth and it was...injured then somehow I ended up here after I healed it. Can you...I dunno...stop them from hurting Shiro? I kinda like the pup."

Thor arched an eyebrow. "Asgard wolves are larger than your mortal ones. The beast would be huge and you've managed to tame yourself a loyal companion." He held a tight grip on Cale's arm, practically pulling him until the teenager eventually gave up and went with him. "You are always welcome here under my protection friend Caelum."

"Cale," he corrected him. "Just call me Cale. It's easier and sounds less snobbish." Cale ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "is there any way that you can send me home? JARVIS sent me out to deal with this wolf and poof, I've just vanished."

"The choice is up to my father," Thor explained. "I don't desire to cause a problem when it comes to our people or your people." He continued on his way down a series of winding corridors and eventually they came to something that Cale could only describe as private quarters as a door was opened by one of the guards. Thor nodded at the man and waltzed right in, giving Cale no choice but to follow him. "Mother, father, I bring a guest with me. This is my friend Caelum, son of Nathan from Midgard."

Cale froze when he came face to face with the king and queen of Asgard, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. The teenager was both parts terrified and excited, a meeting like this was not something that happens all the time. He stopped beside Thor and bowed his head ever so slightly in greeting to the two figures...Odin and Frigga, when he was a child they were just figures in stories his father would read to him before bed and now here they were...actual people sitting before him having what appeared to be a light meal alone. "Um...you have a really nice realm." _What the fuck was that Cale?_

Frigga was first to her feet. The queen adjusted her pale yellow skirts and walked over to Cale with a motherly smile on her face. "Welcome to Asgard Caelum, son of Nathan. Do not feel troubled over your arrival here, fate has a funny way of taking us where we need to be even if we do not want to be there. I am Frigga, mother of Thor and Loki, wife to Odin, come, join us."

"You have nothing to fear from us," Odin spoke gruffly. "Take a seat."

Thor practically pushed Cale to sit down in one of the two empty chairs before sitting himself. "There, they will not...bite you Caelum."

 _Biting is not what I'm worried about_. Cale sat his hands in his lap and sighed. "Look, I'm really grateful that you're not killing me or whatever for getting here through the backdoor essentially but I really want to go home."

The queen studied him closely and leant back in her chair. "I sense my son in you."

"Thor's right here," Cale frowned. He glanced sideways at Thor who was blissfully unaware and helping himself to whatever food was on the table and making a plate for Cale as well.

"No, Loki," Frigga corrected him. She reached forward and pressed a finger lightly against his temple. "My son is imprisoned and yet your energy is similar in a way to his. Explain this."

Cale shrugged. "Dreams?" he frowned. There was no point in lying to them about what was going on. "I sleep, I dream, it's weird but I'm used to it at this point. Can't control it so Loki's helping in his own way just to get me out of his dreams."

"You cannot trust anything that comes from him," Odin warned. "Especially when it comes to the games that my son can play."

Keeping his mouth shut seemed like the better option than to snap back at that comment. "I just want to go home okay? Midgard, my home. I'm supposed to be sitting in an exam."

"I think you should stay," Frigga urged. "If only for a while, gifts like yours need to be appropriately explored, your heritage nurtured. You are part Asgardian are you not?"

"You are?" Thor asked before Cale could.

Cale nodded. "Yes Thor, my mother was Asgardian. Her identity of which I don't feel like discussing as of now but...I can't go home?" he asked Frigga, looking at the queen with an expression of worry on his face.

"Not right now," the queen answered. "But soon you should." Frigga got to her feet and urged Cale to follow her. "Come with me, I am overdue for a visit to my son anyway. I'm sure he could use the company."


	6. Chapter 6

I don't use a beta, so any mistakes are my own.

I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this universe, I only own Caelum Stark, some parts of the plot and any other OC's I make up. All rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics go to their respective owners.

* * *

Cale is quiet as he followed Frigga towards the cells. There's type of dread in the way that he walks and his mind is torn in two different places; his mother was in here somewhere if she was still alive and then there was Loki who he was actually going to see in person since the first time he'd met him in New York. He folded his arms behind his back and kept his eyes on the queen's head, noting that Thor certainly got his hair from his mother. The teenager didn't realize that Frigga had stopped moving until he'd almost walked right into her. "Your majesty?" he frowned.

"Wait here a moment," Frigga instructed.

She walked away from him, leaving Cale standing there in the middle of the hall with two guards and a whole lot of prisoners watching him from their individual cells. He ran a hand through his hair and shifted on the balls of his feet whilst he waited. The minutes passed and eventually a guard came around the corner and waved Cale over, telling him that the queen was finished speaking with Loki and wished him to join her. He stuck his hands in his pocket and walked after him as they both just managed to catch the last of the conversation between the queen and her imprisoned son.

"-and then there is the matter of this young man," Frigga added, "your student I believe?" the queen asked, holding an arm out for Cale. "Caelum, son of Nathan from Midgard."

Cale waved a little, mirroring the actions from when they first met. "Hi, so turns out those hidden paths you were teaching me about, one of them opens up in New York. A wolf brought me through. I called him Shiro."

The god actually looked slightly stunned but the look disappeared as quick as it came. "What are you doing here Caelum?" Loki demanded to know. "You're going to get yourself killed, and for what? An idiotic desire to see this hellscape?" Yeah it was safe to say that Loki was angry.

"Aside from being chased by bow wielding crazies, this place is pretty okay," Cale shrugged. "I'm gonna be here awhile Loki and there is nothing I can do about it, your mum-" That was when he realized that the queen was gone and had left just a guard close by the watch them. He sighed and pressed his hands up against the glass of the cell, Cale could practically feel the magic layered in there that was keeping the two of them aside. "You're my friend Loki, whether you like it or not. I know you're only doing this to get me the fuck out of your dreams but I'm here for now. Just accept it. Throw a few books around if you must, I'm just not going anywhere."

Loki crossed his arms as he watched Cale from inside his cell. There was something arrogant and annoying in the mortal's green eyes that was easier to see each time he saw him. Caelum Turner reminded the god of himself in a way, there was so much potential wasted inside him by him wanting to be a hero. "You are wasted on being a hero Caelum. You're wasted here, power like yours, you could be out learning to conquer the universe." What the God of Mischief was not expecting was the feral smile to spread over his students face followed by the wicked glint in his eyes.

"Maybe that's what I want?" he asked him. "You'll never know until I see what I can really do. Your mum wants me to stay on Asgard a while so I'm gonna do that and I'm gonna learn everything I can about my magic, who I am, I might as well if I can't actually leave. You just watch me Loki."

"I might just do that Caelum."

* * *

"You're getting better at that," Fandral smiled proudly as he watched Cale sheath his sword. "A fine warrior you're making Caelum." When Thor first came to the Warriors Three to request that the help his young friend adjust to living in Asgard, he would be the first to admit that he was wary of the newly discovered hybrid but he soon warmed up to him...well he warmed up to him after Volstagg and Hogun did. Discovering that he held a talent with wielding a blade was something that peaked his interest.

"What? Kicking your ass?" Cale smirked, brushing his hands off on his pants. "Cause I will never get tired of that. It's a new national pastime that I enjoy thoroughly and I thank you for participating." He winked at the warrior and crossed back over to Thor who stood leaning against the fence looking into the training yards. "Back from Venaheim so soon?" he asked.

Thor shrugged. "For a time," he answered. "I came to get my companions and yet I find you destroying one of my greatest. He has taught you well." He clapped Cale on the back a little too hard and laughed as he watched the young man stumble. " You still require a sufficient amount of muscle though."

"I'm leith," Cale argued as he climbed the fence. "Face it Thor, I lack the ability to attain muscle." He checked his watch and frowned, "and I have a lesson to go to."

"I still don't understand your...companionship with my brother," Thor frowned. "Or why my mother is allowing you to continue these lessons with him. You are a strange one Son of Nathan."

Cale laughed and shook his head. "I am an enigma that refuses to be solved," he told him. "Come on Shiro, I need to clean up." He waved the wolf over who had been his constant companion for the last few months, "catch me before you go Thor." Cale walked away with Shiro following him, not many people had been too happy with the giant wolf and the half-breed having such freedmon around the palace but the queen had taken him under her wing as his student and that was that. A few days after Cale had shown up, Shiro had reappeared and then he hadn't left.

It had taken him more than a few days to get over the fact that he wasn't going home but there was little that Cale was able to do about it. He had his own rooms, with Frigga and Loki's assistance, he was able to hone his abilities into something more constructive and less wild but there was that part of him that was missing...home. He wanted to go home. Days turned into weeks and weeks had turned into months...next week would mark four months since he'd taken off to help fight a monster in the tunnels under the city.

"Where did that come from?" Cale asked himself. He shook his head as he entered his rooms, he hadn't thought about home for ages...probably because his birthday was coming up and Clint always took time off to drag Cale to a baseball game, he hated it but he enjoyed the company. Natasha would give him some kind of obscure Russian book to study so they could talk about it the next time they saw each other...come next week he was no longer a teenager and it sucked.

Cale peeled his back scabbard off and stripped down to nothing so he was able to quickly clean up and change into something more presentable. He loved the feel of the fabrics here in Asgard, everything was so soft and for some reason, everything he had was either black or green. Volstagg had taken to calling him Loki Junior. Not that Cale could be bothered to care. He kinda loved it.

And this was where things got...complicated. Caelum Turned was in love with the God of Mischief and it was so damn pathetic it hurt. First of all, who falls in love with their teacher? And secondly, who falls in love with a psychopath?! Cale that's who. He left Shiro curled up on the floor by the balcony window and made his way to the cells. His destination was almost in sight when he stopped in the middle of a row of cells and watched Lady Sif walking around like she owned the place. Cale did not like that woman at all, she was...really brash and rude, not to mention hopelessly in love with Thor who was still hung up over Jane Foster. He watched the warrior as she made her way away from a cell before finally vanishing out of sight. "What are you doing Lady Sif?" he frowned, walking down the hall from where she'd come.

After what seemed like forever, Cale found a cell tucked away where there appeared to be only prisoners of the female variety. Many of them perked up when they saw him, all of whom he ignored as he stopped in front of the last cell at the end of the row. "Fuck me…" he whispered. He paused and immediately scrambled through his clothes for the photo that he carried everywhere with him and withdrew it from his pocket. "Mum…" he whispered. Cale glanced up and walked over to the cell that housed the woman that had given birth to him. Suddenly he was angry, really angry, seeing her like that...muzzled in the same way that Loki had been when he first met him...it was his mother.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this universe, I only own Caelum Stark, some parts of the plot and any other OC's I make up. All rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics go to their respective owners.

* * *

Cale stepped out of the Bifrost and closed his eyes as it closed behind him, leaving both boy and wolf standing there in a grassfield in the middle of nowhere. He closed his eyes and let his hands tangle into Shiro's fur, the wolf nuzzled him, whimpering as he picked up on the man's emotions. "Yeah I know Shiro…" he sighed. "We'll find our way back to the hidden paths again. But for now, all we need to do is wait...SHIELD will come to us. Or someone will come to us but...for now we're home buddy...only four months later." He slumped down on the grass and waited for Shiro to curl up beside him before he fell back against his side. "Wake me up when they get here Shiro. I need a nap."

Shiro huffed at him and let his head fall into his paws, it was his job, always his job, to make sure his two-legged companion stayed safe. After all, he had done the same for him several times since they'd met. "You're thinking too much," Cale laughed at the wolf, stroking his fur. "I can feel those wolfy cogs going over in your brain." He took one last look at the sky before closing his eyes and reflecting why he was here in the first place.

 _When Cale loses his temper...boy does he really lose it. The God of Thunder was deep in discussion with his father when the doors practically explode inwards in a burst of green fire and boiling rage. Thor brushed off dust and wood from his clothes and froze when he saw the young man standing there, his face twisted in anger. "Caelum?"_

" _You!" he hissed at Odin, appearing to ignore the guards running down the corridor. He is almost consumed by fire and rage, in fact, Cale lets himself relish in it and fuck it feels good. "When I first met Loki I thought it was just because it was him, being the God of Lies and all that crap but this...you're a monster! No better than the foes you claim to fight against!"_

 _Thor has no idea what is going on. "Caelum?" He holds his hands up to stop the guards, the god knew that Cale couldn't hurt his father, he's not strong enough for that but both Asgardian's could see the anger in him._

" _Perhaps you should inform me what you are accusing me of," Odin suggested, his voice dead straight. "And be careful the tone you use, you are a guest in my home." The King of Asgard could feel the rage coming off of him in waves._

" _You muzzled Loki like a dog and then...you muzzled her!" Cale scowled, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. "You muzzled my mother! She's not an animal!" His usually bright green eyes were glowing as he threw a photo down and slammed his hands on the table. "Why?!"_

 _Thor picked up the photo and pressed his lips together in a grim line. "This...she is your mother?" he questioned before showing the picture to his father. "How is this possible?"_

 _Cale cocked an eyebrow. "Well when a man and a woman love each other very much...or in many cases just want to-"_

" _Okay, okay I understand!" Thor cut him off, holding his hand up to silence the boy. "Father-"_

" _She gave herself up so you wouldn't kill me," Cale hissed at Odin. "I wasn't even a year old when she left because she was worried you would kill me. Me, a fucking baby!" He'd felt anger in his life before but this...this took the cake so to speak. "I want two things...to go home...and this time I want to say goodbye or I will make this world burn!" Truthfully Cale didn't know what he could actually do to phase the King of the Gods but right now he was angry enough to do anything._

" _I will grant your wish to return to Midgard, but not to speak with Lorelei," Odin answered, watching Thor give back the picture. "She is muzzled for a reason Caelum, her voice ensnares the hearts of man-"_

" _Not my father and not me," Cale cut him off. "Look, you don't have to...fucking hell I hate you so much right now, I just want to speak with my mother...please...have a hundred and one guards on us...I don't care...just let me see her and then send me on my way." The teenager wanted to say more but Thor pulled his father aside and the two spoke in hushed tones whilst he could feel the guards with their weapons against his back._

" _I cannot allow this," Odin finally answered. He turned to the teenager, "I will not allow this and you will be escorted back to the Bifrost, Caelum, Son of Nathan."_

 _Cale's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "I will burn this place to the ground for this. I don't know how but I will hurt you. You should have left well enough alone when I was a child, as far as I'm concerned, my father's death is on your hands. You're more a monster than Loki will ever be." He turned, nodding to Thor before he was escorted from the room._

" _I will see him off father," Thor assured his King. The Asgardian followed Cale's pace, matching him step for step until he got to his quarters. "I should apologise-"_

" _It's not your fault Thor…" Cale sighed. He held the photo against his chest and closed his eyes, "she wrote a letter and left it for my father before fleeing in the middle of the night. When I was old enough...dad read it to me and made sure I knew every line. I hate Odin for what he's done...I know she did some bad things herself but she's still my mum Thor. I just...can't help but think about what could have been if she was left alone…"_

" _There are factors here Caelum that are more complicated than you would know," Thor warned him. He clapped the teenager on the shoulder, "but you have been a good friend to me since we fought side-by-side back on Midgard. Pack what you wish to take with you and then I will take you to say your goodbyes to my brother."_

 _There was something in the god's voice that made Cale stop, a look in his eyes that made the teenager question but at the same time stay silent. He nodded and immediately hurried about the room to gather the things that he wanted to take with him, those mostly being books and various notes he'd taken on magic. "Okay, got what I wanted."_

 _As he'd been packing, the God of Thunder had managed to get the escorting soldiers to return to their duties. Thor waited by the door and escorted him out._

Shiro's ears pressed back against his head and a growl rumbled in the back of his throat at the sound of an approaching quinjet. Cale opened an eye followed by the other before he got to his feet, there was a flash of red and gold that shot through the sky ultimately landing in front of him before the wolf could even stand. "New suit Tony?"

The Iron Man mask retracted as the quinjet landed. "Cale you're four months late!" the men grinned before pulling him into a crushing hug. "And you adopted a pet! I feel like I should yell at you and ask where have you been since you were under my care when you vanished. Since you look like you should be in a renaissance fair I'd say you've been on Asgard."

Cale crossed his arms against his chest and snorted. "Oh yeah I've been on Asgard learning how to use my powers and at this point I'm pretty sure I'll never be allowed there again after threatening Odin." He shook his head, "Tony, I don't really wanna talk about it okay? I just...want to go home."

Tony glanced around Cale and tilted his head to the side. "Yeah okay but...where is that gonna fit?" the man questioned. "Cause he won't fit in the lifts let alone your room."

* * *

 _Feigning sleep was easy when you're flying, just close your eyes and let your mind wander...he pushed out the voice of the SHIELD agent trying to catch his attention and immediately Cale sought out the God of Mischief. The contact that the pair had over the months was usually with a cell between them, when Loki learnt that Cale was being essentially thrown out of Asgard, the god had been furious with not only his father but with Thor and his mother for allowing it to happen. Cale assured him that there was nothing Loki could do but it still hurt to be pulled away from the world he'd become comfortable with._

 _It wasn't a dream when Cale appeared in the cell, merely a projection of himself, a skill that he'd learnt off Frigga when he'd asked her about astral projection. Loki was sitting on his bed reading a book, the page he was on no longer taking interest to him when he noticed his cell had another occupant. "Caelum." Loki still looked angry, why Cale didn't really understand but then again Loki always held a fury in his eyes that the teenager didn't know what to do with. He closed the book with a snap and sat it on his lap. "Why?"_

" _Because she'd my mother and I'm sick of seeing that...man think he has the right to do the things he does," Cale growled. "When we first met you were muzzled like a dog...and seeing my mother like that...I want to make him burn…" he hissed in anger. He slumped against the wall and buried his face in his hands, "what kind of a person does that make me? That I want to hurt someone and will enjoy doing it?"_

" _Real," Loki replied. The god got off his bed and crossed the room to lean against the wall beside him, "I knew it the moment I met you that there was an ambitious and calculating nature to you and all it needed was some prodding to come out. You're like I was when I was younger, innocent and small."_

" _Innocent and small?!" Cale quoted. He pushed off the wall, "fuck you Loki Laufeyson." Before he was able to pull his projection back to reality, Loki's thin hands were wrapped around his neck and he'd slammed Cale back against the wall._

" _You may be a projection, Turner, but I can still cause damage," the god hissed. "Disrespecting your betters warrants punishment."_

 _Well shit, Cale groaned. He closed his eyes, "get off me…" he rasped. When the hands didn't move, his eyes flickered open and Cale glared at him definitely. "If anyone...is innocent and small, it's you...daddy issues." He took a hand off those around his neck and went to punch the god in the face only for Loki to drop him._

" _You're not worth the energy," Loki quipped. He stepped away, ignoring Cale as he picked himself up and crossed back to his book. "I do not think we need to meet again. You know enough to be able to stop yourself from intruding in my dreams. Our deal has ended."_

 _Cale clenched his fists. "Thor was right not to understand this...why I keep coming back to you despite the way you speak to me, treat me like I'm less than dirt and yet I still, still have feelings for you. An arrogant sociopath." He laughed. "I'm just as fucked up as you are. Bastard."_

 _Loki stopped in his tracks. "Excuse me?!" The god spun around and stared at him, a hundred things running through his mind._

" _Laugh it up Loki," Cale sneered before he forced himself back into his body._

More time must have passed than Cale would have thought, when he opened his eyes, the teenager was lying in his bed in Stark Tower and Shiro was nowhere to be seen. Panic set in and he sat upright, ignoring the raw feeling in his throat, Cale rubbed his neck and went to climb out of bed as the door opened revealing Tony. "Where's Shiro?!" he gasped.

"Downstairs in the garage," the man answered. Tony's eyes moved over Cale's body, arching an eyebrow at the red marks around his neck and how...grown up he actually looked like. "You wanna take a shower and get changed? Nat and Clint will be here in a few hours. You can fill us all in when they get here about what you've been up to."

Cale glanced at the bathroom then back to Tony. "Thank you Tony...I'll be out in a little bit." He rubbed his throat again and decided to use the shower to figure out what he was going to tell them.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this universe, I only own Caelum Stark, some parts of the plot and any other OC's I make up. All rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics go to their respective owners.

* * *

He'd let his hair grow out, that was the first thing the two SHIELD agents noticed when Cale entered the conference room. There was colour to his skin, almost like he'd been spending time outdoors and it looked like he had actual muscles to be defined. However the most noticeable thing about Caelum was the air around the young man and the scent of power that rolled off him. He slumped down in a chair and tucked his hair behind his ears as he looked at Director Fury. "Apologies for my absence director."

Fury snort-laughed. It was something he tended to do when he was annoyed and amused at the same time. "Don't apologise. Just tell us what happened when you jumped in the hole and end up at the part where you adopted the animal that attacked everyone."

"His name is Shiro," Cale explained. "He came through a hidden path between our world and Asgard. He was hurt, I healed him and now I've apparently adopted him. I'm gonna work ona spell to see if I can compress his size if he'll let me."

"So that's where you were?" Natasha questioned. Hearing him speak of magic so freely was such an odd thing. It was unusual for her to show any such emotion but Cale was possible the closest thing to a child she was ever going to get. He'd always been there and when he wasn't, she found the hole in her heart was bigger than it should be. "Asgard? Why didn't you come back through this path?"

"Frigga wouldn't let me," Cale answered. "I guess I was like a prisoner but not at the same time. Thor looked out for me and I had lessons to help take my mind off not being at home." He rubbed the back of his neck, oddly enough the fact that he wasn't wearing the clothes he was so used to now bothered him. He wasn't used to jeans and shirts and synthetic material anymore. "Odin didn't take too...kindly to me after I found out who my mother is."

Tony arched an eyebrow. "Must be bad if it's someone King Lear can throw you out of Asgard for." He hadn't know Cale very long but even in his file, it never disclosed the identity of his mother, just his father.

"She tried to take over the nine realms," Cale answered honestly. "My father was the only man she couldn't enchant with her voice and when she chose to study him, they fell in love. It was something that he always told me, didn't want anything to stand in the way of me knowing what kind of woman she is." He laughed, the sound was bordering on angry and hysterical. "I stumbled upon her by accident and when I...asked for a visit, he threw me out." Cale looked at the director, "I'll submit a detailed report if that's what you want. My brain's a little scrambled right now."

"You're still a shit liar Caelum," Fury warned him. "But if that's the way you want to play it, I'll bite. I want that report at the end of the week, no excuses." Anyone in the room could tell that the director was less than impressed with the young man's current outlook on the situation. "You've been missing for four months...four months, tomorrow at 0900 you'll report to Doctor Roberts for a full psych eval. Understand, agent?"

"Yes sir," Cale replied. Oh he understood alright, although he wasn't particularly sure that he wanted to carry on the position of agent anymore. Not with everything he'd been through...there were other things he wanted to do with his life.

Fury got to his feet, eye still on Cale. "A car will pick you up at 0830. Don't be messing around with this Caelum. You're confined to the tower until the eval comes back. That's an order."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." Fury breezed out of the room like a whirlwind of black leather and thunderstorms, Agent Hill didn't even give the group a second look as she followed after him.

"Cale, are you okay?" Tony's concern for him was touching, really. But there was no relationship there, Cale had stayed in his place for a couple weeks, fought a single battle with him, that was it. There was no reason for him to be worried about him. "Asgard can't have been that traumatic; drinking, messing around with Thor and his buddies."

"I'm tired," Cale replied. He got up and moved over to the door, stopping when it refused to open. "Seriously JARVIS...Tony, open the damn door."

"We're only worried about you Cale," Tony answered.

"Yeah well don't be," he snipped. "And stop babying me."

"What's the problem?" Clint questioned, trying to be the diplomatic one. Over the years he and Natasha had seen Cale all different kinds of angry but never this...cold. "We had a policy remember? Especially after you blew your room up."

"I was fifteen!" Cale argued. He turned to look at his surrogate brother with an expression that didn't quit say anguish but more rage. "I'm just tired Clint. I need to get the image of my chained and muzzled mother out of my head before my boot makes quarrel with an ant."

"Excuse me?!" Clint coughed. He practically jumped to his feet and rushed out after Cale, he'd heard that expression before and it was followed by several of the worst days of his life. When he came out into the marbled corridor, Cale was gone.

* * *

Glamours were easy these days. It was one of the first things that Loki had taught him in the dreamworld, hiding his presence so that he could leave the tower was as easy as getting himself a cup of coffee or eating a biscuit. He had no doubt that JARVIS was probably tracking him...or at least trying to but for now Cale just wanted to get out of that tower. Once upon a time he'd been dying to get back home and now the thought of the tower was annoying him. They say that the grass is always greener on the other side but this isn't always the case.

Cale stopped by at an internet cafe, sarcastically saluting the camera before he set to work. He wanted to talk to someone that was a neutral party in this whole thing. Someone who had extended a branch to him only to have it thrown back in her face. Finding her address was easy enough with her first and last name as well as a little backdoor hacking {thank you SHIELD}, getting there was a little harder.

* * *

He'd decided very early on that the suburbs were not his idea of a perfect life. Cale didn't want the apple pie, white picket fence lifestyle, he wanted adventure and he wanted to travel. Well he was getting all of that and more but...it wasn't enough. There was something...out of place with him and the stay in Asgard had only made it worse, made it feel like he was missing something. He was trying to figure that out still when he knocked on the door to the Scarsdale brownstone and waiting for the door to open.

A middle aged woman with caramel coloured hair, littered with a few stray grey hairs, opened the door drying her hands on a tea towel. "Oh yes, can I help you?" she asked, her eyes scanning him up and down.

"I'm looking for Amelia?" Cale coughed, clearing his throat. "She does live here right? I'm a friend of hers from school. Cale, Caelum Turner." The woman had to be her mum, they looked far too much alike for it to be anything else.

The woman's eyes grew wide with recognition and her mouth opened in a small gasp. "Oh my," she spluttered. "You're him...the one from the news! The Avenger." She turned around, leaving the door opened for him. "AMELIA ELIZABETH! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU KNEW AN AVENGER!" she yelled up the stairs behind her. She turned back to Cale, that sweet smile still on her face. "Come in dear, my name is Alice and you are welcome in our home Mr Turner."

"Just Cale is fine," Cale corrected her as he stepped inside. "I don't mean to intrude on your dinner or anything I just want to talk to Amy," he told her, smelling something wafting through the house that smelt amazing.

"Nonsense," she scoffed. "There's plenty where that came from. Amelia and her father eat like animals, you think they were raised in a barn. We're having meatloaf for dinner, you're welcome to join us."

"I can come back later-" Cale started to objected only top be cut off by the woman as she _dragged_ him into the dining room. Amelia had to suppress a laugh at the image of her mother forcing Cale into a chair before running off to get a plate for him. He glared at her, "do not say another word."

"Wasn't gonna," Amelia grinned, her smile as wide and mischievous as that of the Cheshire Cat. "So you finally bothered to show up after four months as MIA?" the woman queried. "Where've you been?"

"Amelia let him eat," Alice scolded, setting the plate in front of him. "Poor thing is all skin and bones. What do they feed young heroes these days?" she tisked, shaking her head as she sat down. "Eat up Caelum."

"Eh-Cale is fine ma'am," he repeated. Cale poked at the meatloaf with his fork and cut off a chunk before proceeding to eat it. A variety of tastes flooded his senses and the teenager smiled, "this is really good Mrs Williams, thank you."

"Manners this day and age seem to be a fleeting thing," she told him, "but you are most welcome Cale. This is my husband Samuel," Alice smiled, waving across the table to a man sipping a beer, "and my youngest Alex is at a sleepover. He'll be mighty disappointed he missed you."

"You two dating or what?" Samuel asked suddenly, the question enough to make both Amelia and Cale choke. He sat his glass back on the table, staring at Cale like he was staring into his very soul.

"Dad!" Amelia coughed. "Holy fuck no!" She dropped her fork on the plate and proceeded to flick a pea at him. "Why you gotta embarrass me in front of my friends?!"

"I'm gay!" Cale blurted out. He set his fork down and glanced sideways at Amelia, "I wanted to talk to you about something so I kinda broke out of my SHIELD house arrest. Your offer of friendship still stands right?" Making friends had never been his strong point but when it happened, he had a tendency to push people away. "I don't...know how much longer I can keep this...this whole thing up.

Amelia arched an eyebrow in question. "Superhero midlife crisis?" When he shrugged and nodded, she sighed and pushed her chair back, "we're gonna go chat in the den okay?" she told her mum. "And you can stay the night with me. SHIELD can't just put you on house arrest after being missing for four months."

Cale snorted as he got up to follow her. "Well they did. They've kinda owned me since I was fourteen. All I wanted to be was an agent and now with the invasion and Loki and finding my mother...it puts things into perspective regarding the size of the universe. I want to be who I am...not what I should be."

"Well quit," Amelia answered. "It's not the be all to end all but you can quit and then go find yourself."

"I don't know what I want to do though," Cale answered. "Aside from that I really want to travel. Explore. Now that I know about the hidden paths...I figured I could explore them and see what the Nine Realms has to offer."

"Do it," she urged, slumping in a nice big bean bag. "They don't own you, and don't let them think that they do."

Cale scoffed. "You think?"

Amelia shrugged. "People our age struggle to find ourselves all the time. You're no different. Trust me. It's practically a rite of passage to want to discover ourselves. I spent three months on a research vessel as a volunteer which is how I found out I wanted to be a marine biologist. You need to do the same thing."

He sat back with a frown. "Just up and leave huh?" Now there was an idea…


End file.
